Flux



Patented Apr. 14, .1942

UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE FLUX James Fletcher, Detroit, Mich, assignor of onehalf to Frank Kuhn, as trustee for Airielle C. Kuhn, both of Detroit, Mich.

No Drawing. Application April 21, 1941,

Serial No. 389,606

Claims.

fluxes does not result in suflicient fluidity of the melt to permit easy flow.

Among the objects of the present invention, therefore, is a flux, the use of which permits the obtaining of a melt which flows readily and which seems in itself to aid in the reduction of the metal to thin fluidity.

The flux which forms the subject matter of the invention and which will effect the above results is a mixture of borax, preferably calcined or anhydrous, and lime, preferably finely powdered air-slaked lime. These two materials are preferably mixed before use and used .in proportions which may vary from about 1 "to l to about 1 to 2 of borax and lime respectively, these proportions may be either by volume or byweight since their specific gravity does not greatly difier and since, for the purpose, the proportions are not critical.

1n the use of the mixture, the borax first melts and then reacts with the lime with'evolution of gases, probably CO2 and water vapor, to produce a quite fluid cover liquid.

While the exact effect of the flux upon the metals is not known, it is believed that it exerts a de-oxidizing'efiect since easily oxidizable metals and casting of non-ferrous like copper and aluminum melt and become quite fluid when this flux is used, while the same metals at the same temperatures merely become soft and too viscous to flow, when ordinary fluxes are used.

Further, while the metals mentioned hereinbefore are all non-ferrous, the flux may also be used with advantage in the melting of the ferrous alloys.

I claim:

1. A flux for use in the melting of non-ferrous metals consisting of a mixture of anhydrous borax and air-slaked lime in the proportions ranging from substantially 1:1 to 1:2'of the two substances respectively.

2. A flux for use in the melting of non-ferrous metals consisting of a mixture of anhydrous borax and lime in substantially equal proportions.

3. The process of fusing non-ferrous alloys consisting largely of copper which comprises meltingsuch alloys in the presence of a mixture of borax and lime.

4., The :process of fusing consisting largely of copper which comprises melting such alloys in the presence of a-mixture of anhydrous borax and airslaked lime.

5. The process of fusing non-ferrous alloys consisting largely of copper which comprises melting such alloys in the presence of a mixtureof borax and lime in substantially equal proportions.

JAMES FLETCHER.

non-ferrous alloys 

